A festival of Japanese arts and culture in Derry Londonderry, N Ireland! From 16th-23rd May 2020, we bring Obon to our own city with a week of events and workshops including Taiko, Manga, Anime, Haiku, Bon Odori, food workshops, kimono making and tea ceremonies.

This wonderful week culminates in our spectacular Obon Festival in the grounds of the Playtrail in Derry Londonderry. Our showcase stage will be filled with drums, taiko and dance, including the world famous taiko player Shogo Yoshii. Workshops and activities will be on offer across the site, which is transformed into a Little Tokyo for the evening, and vendors will be offering traditional Japanese food for you to try.

The evening ends with the beautiful Obon lantern ceremony, celebrating family and community and creating wonderful memories for all involved.

We are proud to be the only Obon festival in Europe. We were set up in 2014 by a group of taiko drum enthusiasts and the local Japanese community, We use Japanese arts and our Obon festival as a force for good in Northern Ireland, improving community relations and social engagement, as well as creating positive cross community and intercultural interactions.

Our work crosses all cultural divides, breaking down barriers with its sheer magic.